


til the night closes in

by helsinkibaby



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Age Difference, Community: comment_fic, F/M, Het, Rare Pair, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-10-07 23:41:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 600
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10372497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: After Joe hears Caitlin's been injured, he goes straight to the Cortex.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Theme : care and comfort  
> Prompt : Any (please no SPN), anypair,   
> I wasn't injured. I was lightly stabbed.  
> I'm sorry. You were stabbed?  
> Lightly stabbed. I didn't want to frighten you.  
> http://comment-fic.livejournal.com/799248.html?thread=102535696#t102535696

When Joe walks into the Cortex, his eyes move straight to Caitlin's chair, as they always do. Today though, it's more than just a quick glance in her direction, a chance to toss a smile her way and, if he's very lucky, receive one in return. 

Today, one look at her reveals that she's sitting ramrod straight in her chair, a thin line of tension running through her shoulders that matches the pinched expression on her face, the thin line of her lips, the way that she turns her head, oh so carefully, to look in his direction. 

"Are you ok?" he demands without preamble. "Iris told me you were injured." Told might be too strong of a word, he allowed. Alluded to it would be more like it, then she'd realised that Joe didn't have a clue what she was talking about and she'd clammed up real quick after that. 

Caitlin sucks in a sharp breath as Barry, Wally, Cisco and Jesse all look at one another and make for the exit without a word. 

Joe feels the hairs stand up on the back of his neck. 

"Caitlin?"

"I wasn't injured," she tells him as she stands up, fingers curling around the edge of her console. She wobbles on her feet, her knuckles clenching tighter and somehow he doesn't think it's got a thing to do with the high heels she's wearing. "I was lightly stabbed." 

"I'm sorry?" Joe blinks, runs the words through his head in case there's some hidden meaning that might not be obvious at first glance. When he realises there's not, he says, knowing his voice is louder than it should be, "You were _stabbed_?" 

" _Lightly_ stabbed." She keeps her voice light, keeps a smile on her face, but her legs aren't the only things that's wobbling. "I didn't want to frighten you."

He can tell that she means it, just like he can tell that he's not the only one who was given a fright. "Yeah, well," he says, closing the distance between them and pulling her into his arms, "too late." 

She all but collapses against him, burying her face in his neck as her arms slide around his waist, making fists in the material of his jacket. He feels her trembling so he presses a kiss to the side of her head, mutters soothing words into her hair until she lifts her head so that he can look into her eyes. 

"Where?" he asks and she draws back just enough so that she can pull up her shirt. There's a dressing on her side, bandages wrapped around her waist and when he reaches out to run a finger along it, she flinches before he can make contact. 

It doesn't matter - he's seen enough. 

"Come on," he says and as far as he's concerned, it's not up for debate. "I'm taking you home." 

She bites her lip, looks over at her computer. "I really should stay and-" Her gazes swings back to him and he doesn't say a thing but she closes her eyes, shakes her head. Her breath catches as she tries to inhale deeply and her brow crinkles in obvious pain. His hands move to up her shoulders, making gentle circles there and the tiniest of smiles appears on her lips. "Will you kiss me better?" she asks as she opens her eyes and he knows that his smile is its own answer. 

He puts words to it anyway. "All night," he promises and when he gets home, he does his best to prove that he's a man of his word.


End file.
